By Omar Bah
The mayor of the Kanifing municipality, Yankuba Colley, yesterday bid farewell to his staff.
Delivering an emotional farewell address before a packed crowd of staff, council members and well-wishers at KM Hall, Colley who served two terms as mayor of the country’s most populous municipality, urged the councilors and municipal staff to continue nurturing the spirit of peace and unity.
“I am very proud of my staff and the people of KM for the support given to me over the past 12 years. I want to say thank you to all of you and at the same apologise to all those I have offended knowingly or unknowingly,” he said as tears streamed down his face.
“To say goodbye is the saddest thing in my life, but this is something I decided well before running for my second term. Those who attended my meeting at the Youth Monument when the youths were endorsing me can bear me witness that I did tell them this was going to be my last term in office.
“Lots of people have called for me to run for election again – even some of the opposition parties have urged me to contest – but I said no, because I believe everything has a time,” he said.
Mr Colley called on the staff to rally behind the next mayor in the interest of the municipality. “Be united and be your brother’s and sister’s keeper,” he exhorted.
He also advised the staff to avoid mixing partisan politics with their work and encouraged the revenue collectors to be steadfast in their work.
Colley, who is also the APRC national mobiliser, thanked former president Jammeh and current president Adama Barrow for the support they gave him.
Deputy Mayor Momodou Jaiteh, KM CEO Pa Kalifa Sanyang and other speakers thanked the outgoing mayor for playing a vital role in uplifting their lives over the past 12 years.
